Pirates 4-0!
Twins 2-2. meh.
Pirates 4-0!
Twins 2-2. meh.
Cubs already setting motherfucking records!
Originally Posted by virmicious
Cubs already setting motherfucking records!
Heading off to Chicago in a few weeks. Only sport in town that weekend is White Sox vs Astros. What can I expect?
Also, I read this article to try and get up to speed on whatever is current, maybe be able to hold my own in conversation - https://www.theringer.com/mlb/2018/4...ng-cubs-astros
What on earth is "Tanking"? Is that selling off all your best players to end up losing, in order to get better draft picks the following season?
Yes you nailed the definition of tanking.
The White Sox stink apparently but you can expect to see the World Series champion Astros who have an electric second baseman José Altuve who won the MVP last year at a height of only 5'6 (shortest player in the league). He is one of the 2 or 3 most exciting players in the game currently.
Last edited by Fro; April 3rd, 2018 at 12:50 PM.
What a strange concept. Surely people must get wound up by that? I mean, if your team continues to lose with no pay-off, that's got to be so tedious?
At least there's some good to come out of it. Might start watching some of the games coming up to get a feel for the teams.
When the teams are as mismatched as they sound like they are here, how long do the games usually last for, assuming Astros walk all over them?
I’m very excited about next year’s draft.
The mismatches don't mean a whole lot in this sport in terms of going to an individual game or two. It's a sport where the best teams only win 60% of the time and the worst teams still win 40% of the time. So it's not as if the White Sox will have no chance - and it will depend a lot on which starting pitcher is going for each team. That said, the Astros are far better and should win.
The games usually last 3 hours.
Tanking pays off a lot in basketball and fans actively root for it in that sport because a player out of college taken with a top draft pick can potentially change a franchise immediately. Same with American Football to some extent. With baseball, drafted players usually take at least 3 years to reach the majors so there isn't an immediate benefit but it helps over a longer term. That article you posted, I didn't read it but I saw the headline and it's talking about how the Astros were truly awful from 2011-2014 but were able to get good draft picks and now they have great young players and they're the champs with a legit chance to win multiple titles. So in baseball, tanking is more like a 5-year process. Most fans don't like being bad for several years but it is what it is. The worst team getting the top draft pick naturally makes it so that being the worst this year will help you in the future.
Lance Lynn didn't look great yesterday, but hopefully he's just knocking off some rust from signing late. Odorizzi, Gibson, and Berrios looked good.
Ohtani hit a HR in his first home at bat. Not to jump to conclusions based off one isolated at bat, but I think the kid will be good. If he actually succeeds at pitching and DHing, he'll be a true phenomenon. My guess though is that 3 years from now he's doing one or the other.
Clive, American sports generally "reward" being bad in order to create parity across the league, so although over a period of time your team might be total shit, it's likely a period of being a genuine contender will follow, so it's not totally without loss. It would be like supporting Sunderland but instead of them be genuinely crap for years and get progressively worse and worse dropping down leagues, with no relegation and the draft it means in a few years they would have shit loads of the best players in the sport all coming through together. It does mean fans get disinterested as the drama of a relegation battle etc doesn't exist which is a bit shit.
As Fro said you can still enjoy rooting for your team on a game by game basis in baseball as you will still a fair amount of games. Individual games of baseball are heavily influenced by luck and randomness which is why the season is 162 games long.
It looks like he's not gonna get many AB over a full season though. Exciting player, his stuff in his first start was electric, triple digits at times on his fastball, still hitting 98 late in his start and his splitter looked disgusting. I think anything he does hitting-wise in the odd game he DHs is just icing on the cake, will have to see how they manage his hitting workload around his pitching days.
Mets/Phillies game is exclusively on Facebook today. Not that I mind too much because I'm at work so I can leave it up on my computer in the background, but if I was sitting at home I'd be pissed. I guess that's why they did a Wednesday day game and not a Saturday night game, but still.
On the plus side, I've learned I can watch every game through the NBC Sports app, which is fantastic news.
Update: Having the ability to check in on the game and see it is great. Listening to this announcing team is painful but that might be because I think the Mets' usual announce team of Gary Cohen, Ron Darling, and Keith Hernandez is far and away one of the best in baseball.
Last edited by BigAle; April 4th, 2018 at 3:01 PM.
That Brewers/Cards game was something last night!
And he may not even be the best player on the team by the end of this season. Crazy.
Speaking of tanking and the Astros ... well, ya.
Not as good as tonight
The Cards do have the Brewers number generally. Something like 192-139 in the all time series.
https://streamable.com/5k1eh what a guy
I've got tickets to the Twins Opener today. There's a lot of snow on the ground, and it is currently 19 degrees. Should be a blast!
Thats my closer.
What's the Mets magic number?
Twin's opener was a lot of fun. A bit chilly, but the Summit beer made up the difference. Great win over Seattle. A lot of fun seeing Ichiro back in a Mariner uniform.
I love the Twins park, such a nice stadium. And I love the fact that is so close to downtown.
So how about Ohtani? 3rd day in a row with a HR. Looks like he might be a legit big league hitter.
He’s a fucking pimp.
He’s now more of a pimp. He’s some sort of super pimp.
news and notes
1. I've officially got Ohtani-san fever even though I haven't actually seen him play yet, just highlights. He is electric so far.
2. Amazing comeback by the Red Sox today to sweep the lowly Rays. Best start in franchise history at 8-1.
3. LOL at Stanton batting .107 with 16 strikeouts in his first 6 games.
4. I'm going to Sox/Yanks on Tuesday night so I will try to boo Stanton as loudly as Yankees fans do.
JD Martinez > Giancarlo Stanton
Ohtani > Stanton
And if you consider his pitching, it's even more lopsided.
I am waiting for all the apology letters to Jeter. He fleeced the Yankees.
Ouch.
https://twitter.com/ESPNStatsInfo/st...66777735434240
People celebrating Stanton’s bad 6 game stretch are going to be super quiet when he goes on a 6 game tear and hits 5 HR, drives in 12 in that period.
True but the end of that game was hilarious. Down 1 in the bottom of the 13th, bases loaded no outs, Judge and Stanton up at the plate. No runs scored, loss.
Sale will get 11 or more K's tomorrow night, bet
Haha it was hilarious for sure. Even funnier to see my Yankee fan boss real, real reluctant to talk baseballTrue but the end of that game was hilarious. Down 1 in the bottom of the 13th, bases loaded no outs, Judge and Stanton up at the plate. No runs scored, loss.
Sale will get 11 or more K's tomorrow night, bet
Announced attendance for the White Sox/Rays game yesterday: 974 I would hate this if I was a player, but I would have loved to have been there as a fan. Except for the cold weather, seeing a game with only 974 people in the stands would be great.
Bartolo Colon throwing cold water all over Ohtani Mania. 0-1 retired on a weak ground ball to second on 2 pitches. #BigSexy
red sox are unstoppable
and there's no way this post will be quoted when they go through a slump
If they have to rely on David Price in big situations and the postseason they may not be unstoppable.
Sox-Yanks is fun again
Benches cleared twice already tonight and there was a legit brawl just now between Joe Kelly and Tyler Austin
https://twitter.com/thehirsty/status...533425664?s=21
"The gang reignites the rivalry"
Regarding the brawls today, has anyone ever charged the mound wielding their bat like a war club?
It has to have happened but the only thing I recall is Clemens throwing Piazza's broken bat at him.
Judge and Stanton moving the entire pile is like a Royal Rumble go home Raw.
Also fuck the Red Sox.
YAAAAAAAANKEEEEEEES
Can’t wait for the 3rd game.
Haha they weren’t fucking with Judge & Stanton after that Brawl.
As entertaining as the Sox/Yankees brawls were, Luis Perdomo trying to throw his glove at Nolan Arenado while he was charging the mound was fucking hilarious
Jose Offerman did it in 2007 in an independent league game in Bridgeport, CT. I didn't remember that off the top of my head, but as soon as I saw his name pop up on Google I remembered the case. He hit the pitcher and the catcher with the bat. The pitcher had a few broken fingers and the catcher ended up with a concussion bad enough to end his career. Got a payout of about a million bucks too.
Offerman got arrested and ended up with AR so he served no jail time.
I'm a fan of brawls in baseball.
Twins won 2 out of 3 against the Astros. Ervin Santana has started throwing again, and should be back in May. I'm becoming a big Jake Odorizzi fan. Even without his best effort, he found a way to pull out a win. Any Rays fans here? Was he always like this in Tampa?
LoL. Rays fans.
But we do have one. @Torn.
I know, they are in a tough spot. In my quest to see all the stadiums, Tropicana Field is probably the worst I've been to.
On a related note, what stadiums have people been to? Which one stood out? Which ones were dumpster fires?
I'll post my list/reviews later, when I'm not at work.
They're not proper reviews but:
Shea Stadium: loved it even though it was a mess by the time they were ready to tear it down. Really, really wanted to buy some of the seats but they were far outside my price range. The bathrooms used to flood during games, which was fun.
CitiField: very nice, modern stadium. I've sat all over the place and there's not many bad seats. Lots of good food too. Got a tour of the offices and the areas closed off to the public through my old job before the stadium opened, which was cool.
Yankee Stadium (old): didn't care for it.
Yankee Stadium (new): very nice. Got to see it when it was empty for a trade show. That was cool. Got to sit in the dugout and stand at home plate.
Fenway Park: possibly my favorite stadium. You can just feel the history when you walk through the doors. Great location in Boston. Got to see a game from a few seats behind home plate and it was amazing.
Places I have been to in order that I went to them with a brief review:
Metrodome: Saw my first game there in 85 the year it opened, before the put AC in. I was 2 at the time. Went several more times. Terrible sight lines for baseball, seats all faced the 50 yard line...
Arlington Stadium: Do not recall much, only went once and was very young. Hot!
County Stadium: Went many times as a kid/teenager. Loved seeing outdoor baseball. Tailgating was fun. I recall the upper deck being super steep.
Kaufman Stadium: Went a few times, the most recent renovations were great. Lot's of good views and cheep tickets.
Miller Park: An upgrade over County Stadium but there are so many things wrong with this park.
Wrigley Field: Its been great every time I have gone. Only once I wasnt a fan of the seats and that was when we were under the awning on 1st base side. Ive sat in the top row in the upper deck and in the bleachers. Those were great.
Great American Ball Park: Went once. Sat in top row of bleachers in OF. This was just after all of the renovations. Enjoyed the park a lot. Would love to get back.
Progressive Field: We hit up Cleveland on the same trip as Cincinnati. I would put Cleveland ahead. The atmosphere around the park was great and there was a lot to do at the game. I also caught a Tori Hunter HR ball here.
Target Field: Great place to watch a game, has a partial season ticket plan the past few years but did not renew this year. Too many things going on with the kids forced me to give up the tickets. You can watch the game from all over the park and I enjoyed the different things the offered, didnt feel like a gimmick.
1972 ALCS A'S' Bert Campanaris threw his bat at Larrin Lagrow of the Tigers like a helicopter for throwing at his legs. Lagrow had to jump or duck to avoid I if I remember correctly...
So they suspended Campy for the first week of the 1973 season and let him play in the World Series.
Go figure.
Off course, Billy Martin DID order Lagrow to throw at Campanaris' legs because Campanaris stole 50-60 bases every year.
As entertaining as the Sox/Yankees brawls were, Luis Perdomo trying to throw his glove at Nolan Arenado while he was charging the mound was fucking hilarious
He was good in 2015 but garbage last year coming off injury. I don't buy into things like finding a way to win as it's mostly luck that he escaped a start where he walked 5 batters only giving up 1 run - 10 walks in the season so far isn't a great sign that he's going to improve a lot from last year and his start before this one also looked bad. I just looked and he walked 5 guys in a start just once during the good two years he was with us. I predict a 4+ ERA for the season.
REKT
Mets lose two catchers in the span of 24 hours. One probably needs TJ surgery and the other broke his hand when he was hit by a pitch.
Sure was a nice first 11 games.
Holy fuck what an amazing comeback by the cubs today.
Checked the score and it was 10 to 2. Get home and its 13 to 10 cubs. Amazing
It's not that great.
In my day, the word “Amazing" was reserved for things like curing Polio and walking on the Moon, not for baseball comebacks.
Amazing lads just amazing
I know. It was amazing, grandpa.
Ohtani finding out what its like to face a team that isnt as shitty as Oakland.
red sox made Shohei Ohtani look like Hideki Irabu
The Ohtani over hype is real. The best team in baseball was +150 against a rookie making his 3rd career start. FREE MONEY!!!
Billy Price fired by the Reds. I thought he was alright as a manager in my few years living in Cincinnati. 3-15 is tough to come back from.
Mets score 9 in the 8th to salvage one game against the Nats. It was difficult to be so quiet as to not wake the baby as I was watching it happen.
Relax, it's April, not Sept 1969.
We got a long season ahead of us.
But it was a nice win, aided by some awful pitching decisions by Martinez in that 8th inning.
Haha oh I know. I was just happy they didn't get swept. I know sweeps happen but I hate to see it whether it's April or September.
Reds fire Price. Woop Woop!
Red Sox are 15-2. Woop Woop!
Porcello looking like good Porcello again. Sale is Sale and if Price can stay healthy, and if Betts can continue his MVP type season..... this team will be a bear. Highest payroll ftw
Fro ladies and gentleman
all your teams stinkFro ladies and gentleman
Honestly, as a die hard Reds fan, them firing Price does nothing for me. Price inherited a dismantled team with a weak farm system and no wiggle room to spend money. He had 1 all-star and no pitching. He helped in developing a few guys (Suarez, Winker, Castillo), assisted in some trades for quality contributors (Gennett and Romano) and drafted 3 key COG’s in their system (Greene, Senzel and Trammrl). They wouldn’t pull the trigger on Senzel for financial reasons and the players never played to full effort, including injuries.
I feel sorry for whoever lands this job. That said, I’ll be in the stands cheering them on damnit.
So?
Yeah I don't think firing the manager does too much to that team. Seems like he was making some bizarre and basic managerial errors but of course a lot of a baseball team's success is down to the front office rather than the guy who turns in the lineup cards.
God, Harvey has to go.
What a shame..
First Gooden, now Harvey....
It gets tough being a Mets fan.
I don't think you'll have a particularly strong audience for the "woe is me" posts regarding the 13-5 Mets in this thread tbh
Wah wah wah! My team is so good that this guy who was supposed to be good sucks and they're still good! Wah!
I forgot about the rule that says a fan can't complain about any player unless the team is below .500
I was talking about Hall of Fame level pitchers who fell off the baseball world after a few years, not my team starting out 12-2. Now 1-3 since btw.
Boston no hits.
Nice
12 minutes 45 seconds, 21 pitches, 16 2-strike fouls, 1 at-bat..
..in the first with none out. Fucking hell for Barria.
Sox game was shit, but good experience. Cheap tickets, moved down to the Revolution bar and go a better view with better beer. Freezing cold Friday night though, and they just couldn't seem to hit the ball. This Astros smashed them 10-0, and there was only 2 homers. We left after the 6th innings, which was about the time Farquhar got taken sick. Seems to be talking now, but sounded very serious.
Cubs game got cancelled on Weds because of non-existent snow, so we gave up bothering with them, and then when we went for pizza on Thursday it's on the TV in scorching weather, but we didn't know it was on again. Oh well. Enjoyed Chicago though. What a vibe.
Not sure why Fro hasn't given us one of his regular Red Sox updates recently?????!?
Can't believe this 8 game streak for the Rays. Best team in the majors?
One thing is for sure Span ran like a madman for that inside the park home run.
Have I mentioned how much I hate the Cubs?
solid come from behind win today to avoid the sweep. with the yankees having won 8 straight the AL East is looking to be very fun this year as expected. 20-7 with only a 2.5 game division lead, damn. can't wait for the series in the Bronx a week from now.
Haha classic Fro piping up after a win. Fucking Colome again!
- - - Updated - - -
ABSOLUTELY the best team in the majors over the last 9 games
The Brewers inability to produce runs or wins against the cubs is baffling but I will take it. Also probably explains why the fans dont bother going to the games when the cubbies come up north
It’s really bothersome that they scored 2 runs in 4 games.
I don’t go because Cubs fans are arrogant douchecanoes
It's basically our 2nd stadium.
CJ Cron > Atty
Corey Seager done for the season after needing Tommy John surgery. That's a pretty big blow to the Dodgers.
Yankees go 6-1 on the road against the Angels and Astros.
BRONX BOMBERS BABY
As the Mets sink to where the .Mets belong, at least we still have the best announcers in the game to enjoy...
Yesterday at 2:02 in the recorded game, the umpire gets a foul ball off his upper chest, right over his pocket, where he has a pen to write down the score etc..
Keith Hernandez opines that it's "just like the heart punch"
Gary Cohen has no idea what that is, asks if he used his pen lol.
Keith explains it's Stan Stasiak's finishing move.
Ron Darling adds "Oh, like Chief Jay Strongbow's Sleepherhold."
Keith: "exactly"
And so ends the Dark Knight (at least with the Mets). What a trip his career has been.
Given that it’s the Mets, it won’t be long before somebody picks him up for peanuts and he suddenly turns his career around and ends up winning 15 games this season and lowers his ERA to 2.00 and throws in a no-hitter for good measure.
Don't be surprised if the Yankees land him. Minimum salary, "You are going to the minors until you get your shit together or you're out," type of deal.
Deep down he's always wanted to be a Yankee. Might actually make him humble and get his ego in check, but maybe the injuries were just too much for him.
He’s definitely always wanted to be a Yankee, but I think now he wants to be the face of a franchise like he was 5 years ago. Just last week he was out partying before his first bullpen innings. He wants to be a rock star not an MLB pitcher. I don’t know if any team can rid him of the chip on his shoulder.
The worst part of this whole Harvey debacle is that Scott Boras was probably right to insist on an innings limit after the TJ surgery.
Despite the injuries from today, I am feeling good.
nice to take a series from Chicago. Thanks Wong, keep that shit up.
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